Guwahati: Russian President Vladimir Putin had ordered the initiation of drills to test strategic deterrence with ballistic missile launches, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Sputnik on Saturday.
Peskov was asked if Putin had given his OK for the exercise to commence with ballistic missile launches. “Yes,” replied Peskov.
Putin and his Belarusian colleague Alexander Lukashenko viewed ballistic missile test launches at the control centre.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the strategic deterrence drills were planned, with manoeuvres including the Russian Aerospace Forces, Southern Military District troops, Strategic Missile Forces, and the Northern and Black Sea fleets.
As the ministry claimed, the drills are intended to evaluate the readiness of military command, combat launching units, combat ship crews, and strategic missile carrier crews, as well as the reliability of strategic nuclear and non-nuclear forces.